Thursday, 24 September 2026

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation clearing the immediate sale of E15, a higher-ethanol gasoline blend, in the state.

The move ends California's status as the last U.S. state where the fuel could not be sold, according to The Epoch Times. E15 is regular gasoline blended with about 15% ethanol.

A study cited by Quartz and Yahoo projected annual savings of up to USD 2.7 billion for California drivers from the change.

French President Emmanuel Macron has written to the European Commission asking it to postpone new EU methane reporting rules for oil and gas importers, warning they could create legal risks as energy supplies tighten, according to Reuters. Macron wants the regulations delayed by one year, until January 1, 2028.

In the same letter, Macron pressed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to relax rules on diesel and kerosene, citing the risk of shortages from the US-Iran war, Rigzone reported. He argued that easing EU fuel-quality standards could let the bloc's refineries produce up to 20% more diesel and kerosene.

Macron also proposed loosening biofuel-blending limits, allowing EU distributors to replace B7 diesel, which contains up to 7% biodiesel, with B10, containing up to 10%.

According to Rigzone, Macron warned that global oil-product supply could fall by 4 million barrels a day unless the Strait of Hormuz reopens quickly and Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline is brought back into operation, risking a sharp jump in prices.

Nigeria's Federal Government has ruled out any near-term increase in electricity tariffs, according to The Times of Nigeria.

Power Minister Joseph Tegbe, who assumed office on June 8, said the administration's immediate priority is to improve sector performance rather than add financial pressure on consumers, BizWatch Nigeria reported.

The Eagle Online reported that Tegbe announced a shift from immediate stabilisation of the power sector toward infrastructure development and investment mobilisation aimed at building a more resilient electricity system.

Among the first 100 days' achievements, Tegbe cited the return of the 375 MW Alaoji open-cycle plant to the national grid after three years offline, according to The Times of Nigeria.

The same outlet reported that an estimated NGN 1.23 trillion has been raised toward clearing a power-sector debt backlog the ministry puts at NGN 3.3 trillion.

The planned Pax Silica tech hub in the Philippines and the related Luzon Economic Corridor have drawn opposition from civil society organizations and Indigenous groups, according to Mongabay.

Land earmarked for the Pax Silica site overlaps with territory that thousands of Indigenous Aeta people claim as their ancestral domain, Mongabay reported. Protesters have also raised concerns about the project's water and energy consumption and its waste management plans.

Joshua Bingcang, chief of the BCDA, offered what he described as a conservative estimate that the facility would require around 3 GW to operate, according to Mongabay's account of a press briefing. Run continuously at that level, the hub would draw about 26.3 TWh per year, Mongabay reported.

African governments are increasingly pressing foreign investors to build domestic industrial capacity rather than simply finance extraction or ship raw commodities abroad, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Nigeria's trade minister Jumoke Oduwole framed the demand in talks with US companies over critical minerals, telling Semafor her government wants "partners that will make sure that the value chain development [and] the jobs are created on Nigerian soil".

DR Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa described diversifying both the economy and the country's roster of foreign partners as a priority, saying partnerships should "bring a plus" to the country, according to Semafor.

Semafor noted the practical constraints on that ambition. Processing minerals or refining oil on the continent requires large volumes of reliable electricity, transport infrastructure, capital and technical expertise, the outlet reported.

The US ambassador to South Africa said the country's post-apartheid Black empowerment rules are holding back billions of dollars in American capital, according to Semafor.

L. Brent Bozell III singled out mandatory local equity transfers in the mining and telecoms sectors as a barrier to investment, Semafor reported, reiterating Washington's criticism of measures designed to redress inequalities caused by apartheid.

China mined about 60% of the world's rare earth elements used in magnets in 2024 and handled about 91% of separation and refining, according to The Conversation.

That concentration carries political weight. The Conversation argues that a government controlling processing can slow or halt a rival's growth, giving China leverage over downstream industries dependent on the materials.

China used that leverage through a series of rare earth export controls issued in 2025, which it later agreed to suspend at least until Nov. 10, 2026, per The Conversation.

On the other side of the trade, the U.S. government has committed more than USD 7 billion since April 2025 to try to rebuild domestic rare earth production capacity, The Conversation reported.